Owen Lassiter
Owen Lassiter (died January 2004) was a Republican politician from California who served two terms as President of the United States from January 20, 1991 to January 20, 1999, and was succeeded as President by Josiah Bartlet."The Stormy Present" Early life and political career He married Libby Lassiter and would later serve as Governor of California. Lassiter made his home in Costa Mesa, California. He was described as an "Attila the Hun conservative." Josiah Bartlet considered him a "pompous, arrogant know-it-all." Presidential administration Lassiter's administration is considered partially responsible for causing or enhancing many of the Middle Eastern problems that faced the Bartlet administration years later. In 1991, $5 billion dollars was spent on the "War on Drugs". This figure would increase incrementally under the Lassiter administration.The War at Home During his presidency, Lassiter had 120 empty judicial seats, due to Democratic disapproval of his appointments.Eppur Si Muove Despite his inability to fill 15% of the judicial seats, Lassiter did elevate liberal Associate Justice Roy Ashland to Chief Justice in 1992.The Supremes That same year, Lassiter appointed Bernard Dahl as Chairman of the Federal ReserveThe White House Pro-Am In both 1991 and 1995, the Lassiter administration lent money to bailout the Mexican economy.Bad Moon Rising In 1996, the Lassiter administration promised Democratic Senator Chris Carrick to build the MB-827 in his state of Idaho.Constituency of One ;Owen Lassiter's Cabinet * Secretary of the Interior: Robert Rosiello * Secretary of Labor: Leo McGarryIn Excelsis Deo ;Notable Members of the Lassiter Administration * Angela Blake - Senior Aide in the Department of LaborDisaster Relief * Admiral Percy Fitzwallace - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff * Jeff Johnson - Special Assistant to the Deputy White House Chief of StaffDebate Camp * Matt McConnell - Deputy White House Chief of Staff In November 1998, during one of his last major acts as President, Lassiter and Admiral Fitzwallace sent a peacekeeping mission to the Philipinnes consisting of over 1,000 troops. Despite the mission primarily involving just training, logistics, and intelligence, Lassiter was heavily criticized by President-elect Bartlet, who thought he was being "saddled with a war."Memorial Day Post-Presidency President Lassiter spent many of his last years travelling to foreign countries, including the Phillippines, South Korea, and Vietnam. He maintained a habit of telephone communication with former President D. Wire Newman and current President Bartlet, generally regarding issues of the day or historical former Presidents. On a trip to China with Congressman Glen Allen Walken, Lassiter was forced to relieve himself in some bushes in Beijing when a restroom was unavailable. Walken would later speak fondly of the incident and Lassiter's reciting of Lincoln's second State of the Union during the situation. During the MS scandal in 2001 and 2002, Lassiter made phone calls to President Newman, advising him to stay off the media trail and not denounce President Bartlet. Lassiter spent his last years continuing his travels. He travelled not only to foreign countries and sites of foreign battlefields, but also sites of American battlefields of the Civil War. He collected jars of dirt from the battlefields and spent most of his time at the replica of the Oval Office in his library. In late 2003, Lassiter had hip replacement surgery, and he was still recovering from his surgery in early 2004. He slept, ate, and operated mostly out of his Oval Office replica. Lassiter made several calls to President Bartlet, as well as writing him a letter, entitled Need for an American Empire. Lassiter gave his last call to the White House the same night of his death, postponing a trip to Ford's Theatre by President Bartlet. He was found deceased in his Oval Office, from complications due to his hip surgery. Funeral : See Funeral of Owen Lassiter for more information. The funeral of President Lassiter was held at the Owen Lassiter Library in Costa Mesa, California. It was coordinated by Mrs. Lassiter and Donna Moss. * President Josiah Bartlet * Former Secretary of Defense Bobby Bodine * Former Attorney General Dwight Mothman * Former President D. Wire Newman * Former Secretary of the Treasury Max Perlman * Former Secretary of State Earl Renkowski * Former Secretary of the Interior Robert Rosiello * Former Acting President Glen Allen Walken * White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler Notes President Lassiter was played by an unknown stand-in. His hands as he wrote his letter were the only physical time he was seen, and his image was seen on posters at his funeral. President Lassiter shares several similarities with former President Ronald Reagan. Lassiter's status as Bartlet's immediate predecessor was never directly stated. It is indirectly shown in The Stormy Present with the comment that "the men on this plane are the only ones who have been there" (referring to Walken and Newman) and the fact that the Bartlet administration has not dealt with a presidential funeral before. Before that episode, Bartlet's predecessor was only revealed to be a two-term Republican. References Lassiter, Owen Lassiter, Owen